Hundreds of Police Dismissed for Corruption

Some 737 police officers have been dismissed from their posts over the past five years after taking bribes and abusing their power.

More than 1,000 police officers were found to have violated laws and regulations including the 737 who were dismissed, the Khuamsangob newspaper reported.

A report on the cases was presented at the recent fifth meeting on inspection affairs within the public security sector.

The cases resulted in losses of more than 41 billion kip, Vice President of the Party Inspection Committee and Director General of the Inspection Department of the Ministry of Public Security, Brigadier General Duangpi Damanivong, told the meeting.

Most of the money had been recovered, he said. The most prominent cases involved police officers who abused their power for personal gain.

In one example, police officers in Huaphan province accepted bribes from a drug trader amounting to more than 979 million kip (US$120,000) in exchange for 93 packs of heroin, which were used as evidence in a criminal case.

Another case occurred in Luang Namtha province where police accepted bribes amounting to more than 114 billion kip (14 million Thai baht) in exchange for freeing a death penalty prisoner over a drug trafficking case.

Brigadier General Duangpi said another 144 police officers were warned, 341 police officers had not been promoted, 101 police had been demoted, and 20 had been transferred.

Of these, 17 police were sent for investigation and prosecution.

The Inspection Committee has committed to work harder and intensify its inspections in an attempt to curb corruption, bribery and abuse of power within the public security sector.

Nationwide, more than 4,807 billion kip has changed hands due to corruption over the past five years and 734 officials were found to be involved, according to the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

Some 1,806 Party cadres have been disciplined for violating the Party’s statutes and state laws. Of these, 1,007 cadres were expelled from the Party.

Party and government leaders have vowed to escalate the fight against corruption.

Talking to the third nationwide inspection meeting recently in Vientiane, Party Secretary General and President, Bounnhang Vorachit, instructed the top anti-corruption body to appropriately punish officials found violating the regulations in a bid to stamp out malpractice and lax discipline.